SBI BioEnergy Inc. is constructing a pilot plant in the Edmonton Research Park to demonstrate their proprietary technology that converts plant oils into renewable transportation fuels. The SBI facility will produce a renewable fuel that is virtually indistinguishable from diesel and can be used in today’s diesel engines.
Competing technologies include biodiesel, which doesn’t work well in cold weather and renewable diesel fuel that is uneconomic due to hydrogen-related costs.
The SBI technology reduces GHG emissions by displacing diesel and biodiesel with a drop-in renewable fuel that doesn’t require further processing. It can use diverse organic source materials that are common in Alberta, including off-grade canola (not for human consumption), mustards, stinkweed, animal fat and organic forestry waste.
The SBI BioEnergy product can be used for the purposes of Alberta’s renewable fuels standard, which requires renewable fuels to be blended with fuels that are sold to consumers. Today, Alberta must import renewable fuels.